Stephane Dion

February 2, 2007

Yesterday morning as my 5 year old daughter and I were getting ready for our walk to her junior kindergarden she asked me whether or not the groundhog had seen its shadow. Groundhog Day? Is it that time of the year already? How did my 5 year old learn about Groundhog Day? Didn’t matter, she reminded me that it was that time of the year to draw a cartoon on the issue. It’s a day that comes and goes and is easy to miss for cartoonists. The day combined with famous rodents lends itself well to politics and politicians in general. So, I quickly drew up this cartoon to celebrate the occasion. It doesn’t appear in the Spec, but it was available to newspapers through my syndicate at 9:30 am the day before.

December 4, 2006

Like I wrote this past weekend, I haven’t drawn Stephane Dion many times. Yesterday I thought I’d practice by doing a few pencil sketches. He’s pretty good for cartoonists — he’s got beady eyes, a Joe Clarkesque mushroom top full of hair, some defined eyebrows (unlike Bob Rae), a pretty good overbite, and a nice space between the bottom of his nose and his upper lip. He’ll be fun to draw. Some cartoonists, namely Serge Chapleau of the Montreal’s La Presse, is famous in Quebec for depicting Dion with rat like features, especially after the controversy he stirred after drawing up the Clarity act on the conditions leading to provincial secession.

Above is a cartoon I drew of Dion in 1996 shortly after he became Chretien’s minister in charge of unity.

Here’s one I drew in August 1997 illustrating on a letter exchange between Sovereigntist Bernard Landry and Stephane Dion. Note the backpack on Dion’s shoulder. Dion was mocked for coming to Ottawa after years as a professor armed with his backpack.

December 2, 2006

It’s funny how the final battle of the 2006 Liberal leadership convention came down to one between the two main professorial eggheads of the race. I drew the above cartoon back in early April. Some leadership conventions are difficult to predict but this one was a real roller coaster from the start of the first ballot to the end of the fourth. It is said that the King Maker of this race emerged after the second ballot when Gerard Kennedy pulled out and threw his support to Stephane Dion. Once the third ballot was tabulated Bob Rae was knocked off, pretty much finishing off what ever strength was left from the dwindling support held by Michael Ignatieff.

What can I say about a Liberal leader who so far in my editorial cartooning career I’ve probably drawn maybe 5 times? In assessing all the Liberal leadership candidates back in this blog on September 29, here’s what I had to say about Stephane Dion:

Stephane Dion – They say Ken Dryden bores an audience to sleep when he stands up and makes a speech. What about Dion? Man, is he ever tiresome… and humourless. As annoying as Jean Chretien was with his choppy English at least he could be funny. Dion is just painful to listen to. I’m all for the Liberals alternating between anglophone and francophone leaders… and the party is due for a french speaking leader if tradition dictates… but pick one who can speak both languages elegantly, like Trudeau, or Ste. Laurent (I suppose).

True enough, the Liberals have kept their tradition by electing a francophone. While that shouldn’t matter in our happy bilingual country, it’s guaranteed to rub some anglophones the wrong way. “Here we go again”, some will say, “yet another Quebecker is poised to be the next Prime Minister of Canada.” That may very well bold well for party support in Quebec, but it’s pretty predictable that english talk radio’s about to broadcast the voices of many people tired of seeing short lived english Prime Ministers followed by long reigning eras headed by francophones. Not to mention, a francophone LIberal leader who seems to have made Jean Chretien the second happiest person coming out of this convention.

Hopefully Dion can steer and park the party in a clearer and definable left of centre position on issues where Canadian Liberals ought to be, at a midway point between the Conservatives and the NDP. It might make voting easier for Canadians. Problem is that there may no longer be any room left for a lot of those so called blue Liberals — the people who pretty much handed the party consequative governments throughout the 90’s. Stephen Harper’s got to be pretty pleased with that prospect.

September 29, 2006

Today’s cartoon, along with this week’s takes on the Joe Volpe issue ends a gap of several months when I did nothing related to the Liberal leadership race. Compared to other events in the news the race really never registered anything that needed to be commented on. Before the race there was speculation that big time players would enter the race like John Manley, Frank McKenna, and even Sheila Copps. But then they decided not to run so up to now the race has been very dull, with the more interesting news centering on who’s the latest candidate to drop out. While we’re hearing from the polls and pundits on who is best qualified for the job, here’s how I see who would fit the job from a cartoonist’s point of view:

Scott Brison – Don’t know much about him. Never drawn him. He’s got potential for cartoonists. I see him as a weasley turncoat who preceeded Belinda Stronach by being lured to the Liberals during the stormy sponsorship scandal fallout days with a cabinet job. There’s no chance he’s going to win, but surely he’s weasling himself into a possible cabinet job.

Stephane Dion – They say Ken Dryden bores an audience to sleep when he stands up and makes a speech. What about Dion? Man, is he ever tiresome… and humourless. As annoying as Jean Chretien was with his choppy English at least he could be funny. Dion is just painful to listen to. I’m all for the Liberals alternating between anglophone and francophone leaders… and the party is due for a french speaking leader if tradition dictates… but pick one who can speak both languages elegantly, like Trudeau, or Ste. Laurent (I suppose).

Ken Dryden – The hockey great who’s the resident Liberal expert on childcare and other social things. His hockey background alone has been nice fodder to combine in editorial cartoons. That distinction seems to have run its course and now there’s not much left remarkable in the guy. He’s not a tremendously cartoonable guy.

Martha Hall Findlay – One point against her is her long name. Too many words to fit on lapels and briefcases as a cartoon means to identify people who aren’t recognizable. Since I knew right from he outset that she doesn’t have a chance of winning I’ve never really bothered to find out much about her. I still don’t know who she is, in the same way I don’t know who the MP Maurizio Bevilacqua was before he dropped form the race. She’s an attractive woman, which makes her no good to caricature.

Michael Ignatieff – Known best as the egg head Harvard professorial – second coming of Pierre Elliot Trudeau – whose lived in the United States for the last 30 years candidate. He seems pretty right wing on a lot of matters which suggests to me he’s running for leader of the wrong party. ‘Iggy’ is the nickname bestowed on him by other large brained intelligensia friends. Now the name has found its way into editorial cartoons in the same manner ‘Dubya’ identifies George W. Bush. For this reason alone I dread Ignatieff becoming Liberal leader. I’ve only recently learned how to properly pronounce ‘Ignatieff’ after calling him ‘Igni-eff” for months. He does have a pretty cartoonable look about him, and his large brain can be the source of great satire.

Gerard Kennedy – When he jumped into the race he left Ontario provincial politics as, arguably, Dalton McGuinty’s most competant cabinet minister (Education). His intelligence doesn’t seem to be an asset in the same way Bob Rae’s horrible record of governing should be a hinderance. If I were a left of centre Liberal delegate I’d be voting for this guy, despite how choppy his French is, and no matter how lacking in energy his speeches have been lately. It’s exactly for reason that he carries so little baggage that I’d hate to see him win. Drawing him day in and day out would be a huge challenge.

Bob Rae – The former Ontario premier would be my first choice to win the Liberal leadership for cartooning reasons. It would be very difficult for him to lead without being reminded every day of his disasterous record as a head of government. He seemed to be doing a fine job patching up his personal legacy by mediating, heading public inquiries, and issuing reports since he was Premier, obviously putting his Rhodes Scholarship marinated brain to good non-political use. So now it seems he wants to redeem his political legacy, a legacy that not even the most anti Harris/Eves Ontarians will easily forget.

Joe Volpe – The former Martin cabinet minister has signed up more delegates than any other candidate in the race, which experts say will make him a big power broker on convention day. Still, with all the bumbling, coincidently related to signing up new members, Volpe carries enough potential delegate weight which may guarantee him a cabinet post in a future Liberal government so long as it’s not Michael Ignatieff leading it. I see him as the most old fashioned Liberal Party candidate, where you know little about what the guy stands for despite his ability to gladhand himself into the party’s power inner sanctum. This, along with his fuzzy hair, droopy eyes and big honker of a nose makes him ideally cartoonable. Thankfully, he’ll never be Prime Minister.